We tried this with the rotations the other day. Once again, I’ll be dipping into my 2014 projections here to rank the bullpens. To come up with the following bullpen ERAs, I simply combined each team’s seven highest-IP relievers, according to my projections. AL Royals – 2.93 Red Sox – 3.14 Athletics – 3.16 Rangers…

The Pirates still have a long way to go in order to make a game out of this, but they are on the board against the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLDS. Pedro Alvarez, who tied for the NL lead with 36 homers in the regular season, led off the top of the fifth…

The Reds brought the lumber today against Pirates starter Jeff Locke. Locke, an All-Star, entered today’s start with a 5.43 ERA since the break. It didn’t improve. The Reds tagged Locke for five runs in the top of the first. After the Reds loaded the bases with one out, Jay Bruce laced a bases-clearing double…

Giants 2, Phillies 1: A few days ago Jonathan Papelbon watched his team lose another game and said “I definitely didn’t come here for this.” Well, they didn’t show up at the ballpark yesterday expecting Papelbon to give up four singles and blow the lead. Again. Cole Hamels‘ eight shutout innings were for naught and…

Mets outfielder Juan Lagares hasn’t hit much in his limited playing time — he has a .419 OPS in 33 trips to the plate — but opened some eyes and dropped some balls with a catch in the third inning of this afternoon’s game against the Pirates. Opposing pitcher Jeanmar Gomez led off the inning…

Mets 1, White Sox 0: For as good a pitcher as Matt Harvey is, something is clearly wrong with him given that he did not get the win in this game. The object of the game is to win it, Matt. You clearly lack The Will to Win, as I’m sure Hawk Harrelson mentioned during…

James McDonald has been scratched from tonight’s scheduled start and placed on the disabled list with what the Pirates are calling shoulder discomfort. Jeanmar Gomez will take McDonald’s spot against the Mariners. McDonald has struggled all season, posting a 5.76 ERA with a league-high 20 walks in six starts, but previously insisted that he was…

Pirates starter Jonathan Sanchez‘s outing didn’t last long. Cardinals hitters Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back solo home runs, and Matt Holliday followed up with a single on a line drive to center. Sanchez, who posted an 8.07 ERA in 15 starts last year, entered the night…

Some bad news this morning out of Pirates camp. According to beat writer Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, right-handed starter Jeff Karstens has been scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League outing Sunday against the Orioles because of “continuing shoulder discomfort.” Karstens reported feeling soreness in his right shoulder on February 19 — after one…

Cleveland designated Jeanmar Gomez for assignment last week and now Keith Law of ESPN.com reports that the Indians have traded the right-hander to the Pirates for minor leaguer Quincy Latimore. Gomez has a 5.18 ERA in 207 career innings spent mostly as a starter, including poor control and one of MLB’s worst strikeout rates during…

Russ Canzler was designated for assignment by the Indians last month and promptly claimed by Toronto. But now the 26-year-old is returning to Cleveland. According to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, the Tribe claimed Canzler on Wednesday back from the Blue Jays, designating right-hander Jeanmar Gomez for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster. Canzler batted…

Jeanmar Gomez beat out Kevin Slowey for the final spot in the Indians’ rotation this spring, but after posting a 5.18 ERA and terrible 35/26 K/BB ratio in 73 innings he’s headed back to Triple-A. Gomez never showed a whole lot of promise in the minors and his 4.81 ERA through 34 career starts for…

Nationals 8, Padres 5: Bryce Harper golfed one more than 400 feet to straightaway center for his first ever major league homer. He also struck out on four pitches to Joe Thatcher and launched a really loud f-bomb. I love him for both reasons, frankly. And I love how the back end of the Nats…

This can’t last. Of that much I’m certain. But dudes: Albert Pujols just went hitless in his fifth straight game. He’s 0 for 19 in that stretch. I’m thinking of moving to Defcon 4 here. He at least walked last night — viva reaching base! — but he struck out twice, and he finds himself…

To see how pointless five-game suspensions are for starting pitchers and how silly the entire appeal process can be, look no further than Indians right-hander Jeanmar Gomez. Yesterday he was given a five-game suspension for plunking Mike Moustakas over the weekend. Gomez has appealed, but plans to drop the appeal and serve the suspension as…

For the second time this season an Indians starting pitcher has been suspended five games for plunking an opposing hitter. First it was Ubaldo Jimenez hitting former teammate Troy Tulowitzki late in spring training and now Jeanmar Gomez has gotten a five-game ban for hitting Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas on Saturday in what MLB…

Indians right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, third baseman Jack Hannahan and skipper Manny Acta were all ejected from Saturday night’s game against the Royals after two different (but not unrelated) benches-clearing incidents in the third inning. The Associated Press, via NBCSports.com, has all the details from Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium: Kansas City starter Jonathan Sanchez plunked Cleveland…

From beat writer Nick Camino of Cleveland’s WTAM 1100 comes word that the Indians have handed the final spot in their season-opening starting rotation to right-hander Jeanmar Gomez. Gomez won the job by registering a 1.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 14/8 K/BB ratio this spring in 19 2/3 Cactus League innings. His competition, Kevin Slowey,…

Even after giving up their top two pitching prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez, the Indians couldn’t maintain their hot start last year and lost their last four games to finish under .500 at 80-82. The offseason saw them shopping from the scrap heap, which isn’t unusual, but even as they were forced to pick from largely…